Whats up?
My medical school is a pretty small system, unfortunately, and it is hard to come by research opportunities, shadowing etc (in orthopedics). I've just completed my first year in May, where I spend the majority of the year trying to keep my head above water and I had no idea which specialty I would choose at that time. I've managed to honor majority of my classes and am doing well in school, but I haven't gotten much out of medical school besides what is taught in class (no experience in orthopedics, no involvement in extracurricular ). Basically medical school caught me off guard and I had to make sacrifices to stay on top of my game.
But now since I have decided to pursue Orthopedics and I am on the precipice of a new academic year (M2). I am pondering what I need to achieve in year two (perhaps to make up for not doing much in year 1). Do I need to start observing orthopedics surgeons, do research of some nature related to orthopedics, get involved in some sort of clubs, or just focus on school again this year and ACE the step 1?
Pretty much all I have managed thus far in medical school is achieving high grades, some minimal volunteering, and some infectious disease research this summer (very limited). What should a medical student (me) accomplish during these first two years? Are they crucial years or not? Will there be opportunity typically to get experiences needed to match into ortho during the 3rd and 4th years?
Perhaps many of you are not well suited to answer my questions since you're no doubt from other institutions. But if you have a comment on any of these questions raised, or perhaps want to share information about your medical school career path, please leave a reply.
